Chapter 289 – Conceited, Conceited #2
When we got off the bus, we were stared at by students from other academies.
Of course, the star of that gaze was Lenka.
It’s exactly the same as the last competition.
Other people would think that Lenka, who had a calm expression on her face, was aloof.
However, if you find out that she exudes her cynical aura, that she is a tsundere who can only speak in front of me, she will be surprised.
“I heard that Hanazawa isn’t cheering for you?”
Lenka’s question, unconcerned with the attention he receives every time.
I replied, looking around her and nodding her head.
“Yes. Her relatives are coming nearby, so we have to go there.”
“You know very well?”
Although he was well aware of my relationship with Miyuki, I could clearly see his intention to pry more.
I need to play a bit
“I have no choice but to know more.”
“Why?”
“Well? Why?”
“… Done. I just want you to disappear right in front of my eyes.”
“Me?”
“Uh. You.”
“You want me to die?”
“Eh, why do you take my words so negatively…! A real trash bird… Heh heh…!”
Lenka stopped talking and quickly cleared her throat, perhaps conscious of her surroundings.
I must have been ashamed of myself for trying to curse in front of others.
Come to think of it, I feel that the eyes of the people around me are also directed at me.
Are you trying to find out what was in the newspaper the other day?
No, it was a small article in a local newspaper, so it is unlikely that kendo members from other local academies saw it.
It wasn’t because he showed a good relationship with Lenka…
Now she’ll look like she’s arguing with me.
Then why are you looking at me?
Maybe the director of another kendo club recognized me and warned me to be careful, as I won the Rookie of the Year award and even the MVP in the last tournament.
“Are you interested? If you don’t work hard, you might be embarrassed.”
Noticing the men’s stares, I snorted at Lenka’s obvious provocation and said,
“Do you think it’s the right way to try to boost your fighting spirit that way?”
“Then what should I do?”
“I have to pat him on the shoulder and tell him to cheer up.”
“To you? I?”
“Are you saying you can’t?”
“Of course not.”
“Is it so. See you later.”
“What… Are you trying to retaliate? Quietly…?”
I snapped her finger at Lenka, who lost her spirits in an instant, and whispered softly as she put her ear to her ear as she gulped down her saliva.
“Why do you climb when you know you’re going to get hit?”
“Everyone, to be beaten… They say I’m being beaten by someone…!”
“After the conference and conferment ceremony, please take a moment to come to the back of the conference hall.”
“What, what are you trying to do…?”
“I want to punish you.”
“Crazy…! I’m not going…!”
“I said come. Know that.”
After I finished speaking, I secretly patted Lenka’s buttocks and her back thigh with weak force.
Every time I touched her, as if she had a creepy feeling, she subtly warmed her body.
Showing her a meaningful expression on her face, I smiled broadly at Chinami, who approached just in time.
“Master, do your best in the match.”
“Four!”
Chinami, who clenched her fists and burned her will to fight in light cheering, continued.
“Your junior, please do your best. By the way, your junior’s goal today is to win. Just as there is a saying that results follow as much as you work hard, I believe that it is possible for juniors who have worked hard so far.”
Chinami’s expectations are too high.
I don’t know if it’s an individual event, but since it’s a team event, it seems like it’s going to be difficult to win with only individual skills…
Anyway, hearing those words, I feel bad for neglecting her training.
“We will try to achieve as much as possible.”
“Whoops… That’s the position.”
As I was talking with the two, Goro summoned all the members.
He encouraged us with a fighting voice as usual, and after asking Lenka to lead the female members, he took the male members to the competition site.
**
“It’s been almost half a year since you joined the kendo club, but are you still unable to use a hukou yourself?”
Ikeda’s bruising, a senior who will soon be in the third grade.
I, who had been using his help, refuted.
“I can’t just write a call. I know how to wear anything else.”
“That is it. It’s done.”
Ikeda, who had tied all the strings on his face, hit him on the head.
After thanking him, I got up from my seat as soon as the match seemed to be about to begin.
“Cheer up.”
“Yes.”
After fist bumping into my teammates, I did the same thing as Tetsuya.
I thought I would pretend I didn’t see it, but I still don’t know how to distinguish between public and private.
He’s a very three-dimensional guy.
“Each team’s vanguard is in position.”
Hearing the referee’s words, I picked up my shinai, relaxed my shoulders, and headed towards the center of the outer perimeter.
There are quite a few spectators. Some academies have already opened, and I saw a line with many students in uniform.
There are not many people who came to cheer us on.
It would be nice to go with the underdog rebellion feeling like last time.
The vanguard of the first match is where everyone’s attention is focused.
This becomes a subtle burden and causes tension in the players, but moderate tension helps the game.
“Preparation.”
I watched the opponent far away on the opposite side, but when I heard the referee’s voice, I moved slowly.
Then, he looked at his opponent.
The height is similar to mine. Same goes for size. It seems difficult to intimidate him with his physique.
Of course, he must have more kendo experience than me.
But Sense believes that I will be better.
Standing tall in front of the line drawn on the left and right of the center of the arena, I followed the referee’s signal and bent my knees.
And…
“Initiate!”
At the same time as the sound announcing the start of the match was heard, he straightened his bent knee and held the top position.
After that, he hit the opponent with a bamboo sword as he ran into the opponent.
Tadak-!
Bamboo swords clashing in front of each other.
In a situation where the back of the nose became a fight in an instant, I put a lot of strength into the hand holding the hilt so that the opponent could not overcome my strength and distanced themselves.
At that moment, the opponent’s feet moved gracefully and moved sideways away from me.
‘Uh?’
My center of gravity, which was giving strength to the front of my foot, naturally had to be disturbed, and the opponent did not miss that gap.
“Haya!”
Jjaeok-!
Along with the spirit of the samurai-like opponent, I felt a dull touch from my wrist.
The press wrist came in properly.
Just when I was thinking, “This looks dangerous…”, The referee raised a red flag, the color of the opposing team.
“Bout!”
‘This crazy…’
Scores were given in the blink of an eye.
I stared blankly at the damaged area and sighed inwardly when the referee told me to go to the location.
After that, I moved to the middle line and reprimanded myself for my attitude.
“Good!”
After winning first place, I get angry when I see my favorite opponent and opposing team.
It’s not that I’m bubbling over with them, but I’m going crazy because I’m pathetic.
‘This is absurd… Stupid.’
The people in this venue are strong players who finished the previous tournament with excellent results and came up.
If you knew this, why would you be so confident?
I didn’t come up after winning the previous competition, so why was I conceited?
Isn’t this so… Like an idiot.
It’s embarrassing that Chinami talked about her personal skills when she mentioned winning, when she had such a mindset and skills.
I went to the line cursing myself, and I could hear the strong cheering of the waiting members.
“Matsuda! Let’s go right! You can do it!”
No matter how self-centered I may be, I’m not a person so engrossed in individualism that even my teammates think it’s none of their business.
Come to your senses. I am the vanguard. If I’m helplessly pushed away, the next players will start off with a stunner.
“Preparation.”
Don’t try to be technical for nothing, such as a fight on the back of the nose, let’s do what I’m good at, adopting the upper class as the main tax.
From now until the end of the tournament, if you give up even one point, you will be disemboweled.
Having made that commitment, I shook off all my thoughts and focused on the other person.
“Initiate!”
**
“Hairy!!!!!”
Wow-!
With the lattice part of the bamboo sword, he accurately hit the opponent’s lattice part.
But kendo doesn’t end there. Resilience is very important.
I, who was not vigilant and held the posture of maintaining the body of the sword,
“Bout!”
Three referees raised white flags at the same time, and when the referee declared a bout, he clenched his fists.
‘It was good.’
2:1 come-from-behind win. In the beginning, he was easily beaten, but he made up his mind and made an exciting attack using a long range, so he quickly tied the score.
Having won the first match, I ignored the applause from the audience and replaced Tetsuya Chabong, who had been waiting in advance.
I didn’t give him any advice whatsoever.
Not only were the opponents different, but I thought that talking to them would break their concentration.
Tetsuya, who usually refrained from elation as much as possible, looked at the opponent’s pay with a serious expression, wondering if he sensed something when he saw me making a loud sound.
He seemed to have learned from the previous match that a misplaced eye would result in a goal.
Kneeling down on a cushion provided outside the stadium, I briefly exchanged fists with Mori, a middle-ranked player, and took off my arms.
My hands are full of sweat. It seems that I was unconsciously nervous after giving the first point.
“… All. … Weekend.”
I hear someone’s voice from behind.
I was watching the Chabongjeon right before it started, but when I turned my head, I saw Goro looking down at me with a cool smile.
“He said he would help me take off my mask. You have to sweat.”
Goro’s kind voice seemed to know what I was thinking.
Alas, I wiped his hands with the towel he gave me, and took off his face with his help.
“Drink some water.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
“Are you awake?”
“Yeah… What…”
“That’s enough.”
Because he didn’t give me any advice, just tapped my shoulder a couple of times with his big hand.
It’s embarrassing because I feel like my mind has been read.
“Initiate!”
Chabongjeon started right away.
Listening to Tetsuya and his opponent’s spirits, I let go of all my thoughts and widened my eyes.
Let’s not be lukewarm and let’s see everything. Because there might be something to learn.
